“Sorry,” Raina said softly, trying to keep her voice steady, “but I want to ask— is this about the shopping bag I walked in with? Because if it is, I didn’t ask Aaron for anything. If anything… he insisted.”

Margaret looked up from where she sat, her eyes sharp, unreadable. “So did Jessica,” she said coldly.

That name again. Raina shifted slightly in her seat.

“She didn’t want help either. At first,” Margaret continued, her voice steady, almost too calm. “Then she got used to it. Shopping, socializing, playing the part of the devoted partner. But ambition? That vanished the moment she realized she didn’t have to try anymore. She...